On The Road culinary adventures goes to Kentucky!

I wanted to share this recap with you from our first On The Road culinary adventure to Louisville, Kentucky a few weeks ago! We had an extraordinary time in the bluegrass state and I would say that this culinary adventure was quite the success.

I thought you might like to see a little video recap of our adventure to Louisville. Our guests will be receiving a longer version in HD. 🙂

The next morning we traveled by private motor coach to our day’s destinations with a very special guest on board, Chef/Owner Anthony Lamas, of Seviche, A Latin Restaurant, in Louisville. A little rain never dampened our spirits as we toured Woodland Farm and Kentucky Bison with Kristopher Kelly, one of the farm’s managers. This beautiful farm has 1,000 acres and sits on the banks of the Ohio River. They raise bison, heritage breed hogs, chickens, horses and all types of produce in their garden. Much of the food at 21c Museum Hotel and Proof on Main is supplied by this farm.

The donkeys instinctively guard the chickens…who knew?!

The garden at Woodland Farm

* Chef Anthony Lamas…Here piggy, piggy

The next stop was to an old friend, Woodford Reserve in Versailles, KY, where we toured the distillery and learned about the art and science of bourbon making with Master Distiller, Chris Morris. After a bit of a damp, but very entertaining and educational morning, we enjoyed a bourbon cocktail made with Woodford Reserve (naturally) and a bourbon tasting. The tasting was quite informative. It is really interesting how different bourbon tastes when paired with various foods. We also had the pleasure of tasting bourbon at various stages of aging.

Master Distiller, Chris Morris at Woodford Reserve

* Tapping the cask…we tasted that one, too!

Tim Knittel hosted the bourbon tasting which was then followed by lunch with, of course, dishes enhanced with Woodford Reserve! Chef Nat Henton did a cooking demonstration with his version of Shrimp and Grits made with local aquaculture shrimp and a sauce made with Woodford Reserve. Chef Sara Gibbs prepared an apple dessert with bourbon sauce. We had an incredible visit and were very excited to have Chris Morris stay with our group during our time at Woodford Reserve.

Chris Morris discussing the Bourbon Profile Wheel

Our last stop was at Stone Cross Farm in Taylorsville, KY where we met with Patrick Kennedy to learn about their farmstead cheese making operation, Cloverdale Creamery. We had a great time learning the cheese making process and sampling a bit of their excellent cheeses that chef Lamas incorporated in the evening’s dinner. Feeling a bit sleepy after a big lunch and a little bourbon, we headed back to the hotel before our very special dinner with Chef Anthony Lamas at Seviche.

Patrick Kennedy of Stone Cross Farm and Cloverdale Creamery

Chef Lamas worked on our menu for the dinner all day while traveling with us on our adventure. He asked what everyone liked and planned many items on his evening’s menu based on the farms we visited and he incorporated Woodford Reserve in cocktails and several of the dishes. He was texting and calling back to the chefs at his restaurant throughout the day to create this very special menu. As the winner of the Woodford Reserve Culinary Bourbon Recipe Challenge, Chef Lamas definitely knows how to get creative when cooking with bourbon.

We began the dinner with bourbon cocktails and champagne along with passed h’ordeuvres in the lovely new private dining room at Seviche. We were then treated to a 5-course dinner with wine and bourbon cocktail pairings. Several of our guests said it was the best meal they ever had. A few of us had another celebratory cocktail at Seviche before heading back to the hotel. 😉 It was a very special ending to a wonderful day!

Cocktails and appetizers at Seviche

Every dish was beautifully plated

Following a much needed night’s sleep, we met again for the last time at our cooking class with Chef Michael Paley. He prepared an incredible lunch for us that included Bison Tartare. It brought back the whole farm experience from the prior day’s visit to Woodland Farm.

Chef Paley prepping for our cooking class

Chef Paley’s Bison Tartare

It was sad to say goodbye to new friends. It is interesting how people that appreciate the same types of things, like great food and wine, seem to have a special bond. I was honored before the end of lunch to be given a Louisville Stoneware plate by some of our guests. In fact, I cried like a baby I got just a wee bit teary-eyed. They were tears of joy for the experiences we shared and the good times we had together.

I would like to give a very special thank you to the following people that made our first event an incredible success. This would not have been possible without them.

you may also enjoy...

About the Author

Gwen Pratesi

Gwen Pratesi is a James Beard Foundation Award Finalist in Journalism and an award-winning travel writer. She is the author and owner of PratesiLiving.com with her husband, coauthor of Southern Heat, and co-owner of On the Road Culinary Adventures, a culinary travel business. She is a bimonthly travel contributor to U.S. News & World Report, a travel expert for SheKnows.com, and freelances for other publications. Her work has also been featured on MSN, Yahoo!, Business Insider, and in Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Magazine.
She has also been a speaker at several food and writing conferences in the Southeast. Gwen chronicles her love of international travel and experience as a professional home cook on PratesiLiving.com, where she shares the stories of some of the world's most sought after destinations, highly regarded chefs, restaurateurs, farmers, wine and spirits producers, and culinary artisans.
She and her husband reside in Atlanta, Georgia.